Blood Oath
by Lady Saternus
Summary: The love of two Moriquendi, a family curse, and a shapeshifter. Bad at descriptions. Set roughly through FoTR-TT.
1. Prologue, Part One

The smell of damp earth filled her nostrils, and Rhîwhên could feel the draft through the tattered fabric of her clothing. A feeling of dread passed over her, lying in fear she had returned to a new imprisonment. The cold air was not nearly as chilling as the thought of being recaptured. Rhîwhên remained unmoved with her eyes closed, as if still in a dream, listening intuitively for even a single sound to shatter the stillness. Events of what had passed were slow to come over her dazed memory. She could see her mother, the beautiful Élaine, who had so ardently protected her, who had fallen beneath blackened blades. Rhîwhên remembered locking her cold fingers over her mouth from the terror, heart thundering in her chest, ready to leap out. She had cowered, slipping away, and biting deeply into her lip hoping she wouldn't be discovered.

Eventually, she shifted her weight up and let her eyes adjust to the surrounding darkness. A figure sat in the corner, thin silhouette illuminated softly against the flickering flames of a fire. He seemed to ease into relaxation at the sight of her returning to the waking world. Rhîwhên moved toward the figure with the utmost caution in her steps.

His white hair contrasted against the surrounding shadows, lit only by the light of the fire before the Elf. His sapphire eyes bore down on her, as if they were able to penetrate straight through her core. He had a thin frame overall, though it remained well defined and muscular. Rhîwhên crouched near to the male as her legs gave out, then extended a tentative hand to his face. It was an affirmation she needed in order to assure herself this was real. Elven-kind he was, but the words he spoke were foreign to her ears.

'You have no need to run. I am –' he paused warily, searching for the word. In this darker tongue, there was no word for _friend. _'You are safe here. I know little of these words, and would not speak more even if I had the choice. Do your ears not recall the language of your kin?'

Rhîwhên shook her head.

'Varsis,' he greeted in the elven tongue and indicated toward his chest.

Rhîwhên thought of her scarred forearm and shrunk back into the shadows.

'You are safe here,' he repeated firmly, though this time in the Sindarin tongue. Varsis crouched to her level and extended his hand with a warm smile. Her large dark eyes searched his sapphire gaze in the silence between them. Slowly, and hesitantly, she reached out to grasp her slender hand in his.

'Well?' He asked, pulling Rhîwhên to her feet. 'Do you have a name? I cannot simply resolve to call you _girl.'_

Rhîwhên blinked.

_Erestel, _came the answer in his mind.

Varsis nearly tripped over the unpacked bags from their journey home.

'D—did you just do that?' Varsis asked, a slight startled.

Rhîwhên gave a tentative smile.

_Who's there? _Her voice entered his mind softly.

'Wha-?' Varsis asked absentmindedly, abruptly disrupted by the sound of footsteps.

'Can she speak?' A darker-haired stranger interrupted several moments later.

Varsis glanced at his brother curiously, and then back to Erestel. She took a step back at the sight of the second-born, eyeing him cautiously. _'Who is he?' _

'—my brother,' Varsis said, wanting to shake the timid voice from his head. It felt as though there were two people inside his thoughts.

Phaedrus gave him a perplexed expression.

'This is Phaedrus—my brother.' Varsis was quick to correct his words.

'Are you alright, Varsis?' Phaedrus asked as his brother held fingers to his right temple.

'I'll be alright. Its just been a long day, and its only a minor ache.' At least he didn't need to lie about that.

'She must have a name,' Phaedrus continued.

'Agreed. Does Erestel work?' Varsis gave another half glimpse over his shoulder, then returned to Phaedrus. Out of the corner of his sight he caught his youngest brothers, Erastus and Aramaes, following in curious pursuit of Phaedrus.

'_Trusted One, _as it is in the Sindarin. How did you come to that?' Phaedrus grew quiet in thought. 'It will fit, for now,' he concluded. 'I was eager to hear what she was doing in the aftermath of the battle, but I presume now I will have to wait with the consideration of our language barriers. I will take my leave accordingly. It is good to see you finally awake, Erestel.' Phaedrus inclined his head courteously toward their guest, and turned to leave.

'For the love of Elbereth!' Phaedrus protested. 'Is there nowhere I can go you two do not follow?'

'Oh, quit being such a kill-joy Phaedrus,' Erastus replied dryly with a roll of his eyes. He gave his older brother a hard elbow in the side to silence his objections.

'We heard a commotion and thought it would be worth having a look. Turns out its only you,' Aramaes added with a dissapointing groan.

Erastus was quick to realize a fragile, curved figure in the shadows behind the crowd of siblings. 'A girl!' He said, as if it were a scandalous accusation. Erastus managed to arouse the swift interest of his twin, as though the entire event were a huge novelty.

'What a wonderous situation this turns out to be! I can't wait to tell—'

Both twins were cut short in their excitement by and overwhelming, hard pinch to a pointed ear.

'_Owww! .Ow!' _Aramaes whined uncomfortably.

Phaedrus glowered at the youngest twin paternally, quickly silencing any complaints. Erastus only seemed to fidget away in the background uneasily. Phaedrus finally relented, letting Aramaes weasel from his firm grasp.

Aramaes nursed his throbbing ear.

'Never more fun than a wall. There's a rotten apple in every family, Aramaes,' Erastus mocked dissapointedly.

'Out! Both of you!' Phaedrus shouted.

As he ushered his brothers out, Erestel glanced down at the filth of her hands, only to hear the thunderous rumble of her stomach. _When had she eaten last? _As she glimpsed back at Varsis, she had a squeamish expression of discomfort.

'Come eat,' he gestured over at the fire.

Precariously, she stood to her feet only to collapse to the stone floor weakly. _It had been too long since her last real meal. How long had it taken to find her way out of that wretched stronghold? _Varsis rushed to her side to offer his support, but Erestel declined, stubbornly forcing her weight upward. As she nearly lost her balance again, she frantically clung to him for support. Varsis caught her, but fixed his eyes on the indication of a mark branded to her right forearm. Her severely scarred skin hardly disturbed him, but the nature of the raven symbol did.

It was a blood oath.

Only those loyal to Meren Môrelen received such an emblem.

At the same time, Varsis understood that only elves with power could possess abilities to speak telepathically. _Who then, was she? _Varsis realized evidently he was wrong to believe she had no knowledge of sindarin. Her gesture earlier simply meant her refusal to speak any language, at least audibly.

Erestel suddenly had a great deal to answer for.

'How did you get this?' He demanded, entrapping her wrist.

Erestel attempted to recoil, as if a panic-trapped animal. Even if she did understand sindarin, she refused to speak with every fiber of her being.

'I could bring Phaedrus back and tell him of the interesting talent you possess, if that seems a more viable solution for you. I am here to be of assistance, but cannot do so unless you reveal certain information to me in return. I refuse to house traitors.'

Silence.

'_**Speak!' **_Varsis commanded, nearly startling her out of her own skin.

'_I am weary still,' _she replied. _'If you refuse to rest until I have said these things, then so be it. I was captive in the fortress of Amon Lanc—or Dol Guldur, I am not sure which it is called in these parts. Meren trusts those who give their undying oaths, and so it was a sacrifice I made in return for my chance at freedom. As for the ability I have, it can be explained by heritage. I am unsure of those akin to me, unfortunately. Meren murdered my mother, and my family. I have nothing to do with that monster,' _her voice held emphasis on the last word.

'How can I trust what you say is true?' Varsis accused hotly, pinning his hold on her wrist harder.

Her black eyes studied him with a hard resolve, mouth unmoved.

Varsis released her.

Erestel felt the slight sting of her conscience for not revealing more.

The truth was, Eres-Erelith Rhîwhên Môrelen would be stuck with the crimes of her family regardless of where she chose to run. Her chest rose and fell with a deep sigh of regret, this was not her expectations for intended life after escape. _How long would it be before she was discovered here? …and at what cost?_

Varsis remembered Dol Guldur. It loomed in the distant horizon above a peak in the south. He was sure if light could penatrate through the dark webs of the canopy, thunderous black clouds would loom overhead. It had been a broken stronghold long ago, when he was a much younger elf, but even then it had the power to give him a formidable feeling.

Varsis sat near her in the dim light of the fire, the only illumination the stone room provided. He handed Erestel a small portion of salted meat.

'How long were you there?'

Her gaze fell on him again silently, revisiting her dark memories.

'I shouldn't have asked,' he started.

_'No,' _she cut in. _'You may ask what you wish, but I cannot say I will always have answers. I am a guest in this house, as well as a stranger.' _

_**It does not mean I will always be truthful.**_

___'I cannot tell you how long I was there, though,' _she finished regretfully. _'An eternity, so it seems. I was a small child when…I was taken hostage, and my mother was murdered. I am weary though, if you permit me to rest I will rejoin this conversation tomorrow.'_

Varsis took his leave, and Erestel yawned. Her head slumped downward as she returned to bed.

_Élaine came to the end of the pass she had taken, only to find the stone door that held both mother and child's escape collapsed. A sweet echo of Meren's voice cooed not far behind; a madman's lullaby. Élaine hushed the fearful murmurs of her child, moving quickly toward another narrow end of the tunnel in hopes to find a new route to freedom. _

_All was unfavorably quiet. _

_A light within the passage broke through the cracked stones, shattering the grey of twilight. Her fear of Meren had been forgotten for a small, peaceful measure of time, but now it flooded her memory all too well. Even those who willingly served him were unable to last with his volatile temper. Élaine folded a hand over her child's mouth in silent dread, holding her close as they fled. Behind them, Meren's sinister laugh echoed in the darkness. An instant dragged by as if an eternity, her heart beating wild with fear. The path bent around westward with one last course cutting along the stone. An open door in the mountain side rose to the brink of the cliff, letting the blazing sunlight pierce straight through the ridge. _

_**Freedom.**_

___At first she could see nothing, but she withstood the sting of the gaining light. Light! Élaine felt far safer in it. Hair pricked up on her neck, and her ears pricked still at the footsteps crunching on the stone floor. Her white head of hair whipped around her as she turned, protectively pushing her child aside. _

_'You will not touch her!' Élaine threatened harshly. Her words rang powerfully against the old passageway, but did nothing to sway Meren's intentions. He stood veiled in the shadows, hands clasped calmly together. _

_'On my life, you will not touch her!' Élaine shouted again fiercely. _

_'I can arrange that,' Meren mused invitingly with a soft laugh. In the dwindling dimness where he stood, she could see the corners of a grin creeping across his confident expression. Élaine stepped further into the safety of the sunlight, inching toward the rubble of the stairway. It severely impaired her enemy, but his senses were far from dull, even with the consideration of his age. Meren stood tall and straight in the remaining darkness, fearless, but full of malice._

_Élaine's heart thudded with deep panic, and she gave in toward the instinctive urge to run. Would Meren follow in the bright daylight? Élaine was ready to take the chance. _

_Rhîwhên ran easily by her side down the old stone stairway, but Meren was too quick. He snatched the child by a free arm, and rocketed Élaine down the steps from the force. Her weight broke the fragile stairs free from the cliff, sending her spinning wildly out of control with a scream of shock and surprise._

_'Please,' she pleaded in desperation._

_Meren enjoyed the odds in his favor. How easy it was! His daughter beat against his side fiercely, but it was no more than a pestering thorn to his side. Daylight tinged his pale skin, and he was thankful for the dark cowl shading his eyes from the wretched light. Élaine's fingers slid hopelessly against the stone, desperate tears escaping down her cheeks as she struggled to hold on. For an instant, he pondered crushing her fingers against the stone, but she had been much more trouble than she was worth. It was hardly satisfying to see her fall to such an effortless death. Meren wrangled the child next to him, throwing her away back toward the entrance into the passageway._

_Even if he could lift Élaine to safety, the bridge only had moments. Meren could hear the muffled, frantic cries of his daughter behind him to save her mother. For a brief second, he nearly felt an ounce of guilt. As he remembered his brother, his dark brows knotted together again with hatred. Meren bellied against the stone, fracturing it further. Élaine thrashed madly against his hold, and he shouted above the crashing cliff._

_'Hold on!' _

_'Why? So you can murder me when I reach safety?' Élaine spat back, but quickly remembered her daughter, and took his offer tightly. Both rolled over as the stone shattered down the deep crevice. Élaine caught her breath quickly, it wasn't over yet. Meren stood as swiftly as she had racing back toward the passage, toward their child._

_It was pure survival now. _

_Élaine shoved the madman away from her terrified daughter, and he grabbed her cloak, sending them both tumbling again. Élaine flew to Meren's side when she recovered, dragging him furiously upward again, and fighting off his choking attempts to escape her grasp. Pinning him against the stone floor just outside, she yanked his cowl back and forced the blazing daylight on the Dark Elf. _

_'Burn!' Élaine hissed at him. _

_Meren laughed wickedly. _

_He didn't need to see to win. _

_Meren suddenly throttled her by the throat, and then tossed her against the nearest wall like an old ragdoll. His vision was white and blurred, almost completely blinded by the sun. Thankfully, recognizable shapes still formed around him. _

_The child, he thought. Get the child first. _

_A small trembling figure outlined near the entryway, crying softly for her mother to wake up. Meren surveyed the blurred panarama of his vision, picking up the scent of blood. Élaine? His mouth twitched smugly. Rhîwhên shouted desperately for him to keep away, sobbing and clinging on hopelessly over the bent form of her mother. _

_'I hate you!' Rhîwhên screamed between her tears. 'I will always hate you!'_

_Meren pulled out a dark dagger concealed inside one of his pockets. He traced a slender finger around Élaine's cheek, then grabbed her in place roughly as he plunged it directly below her breast. _

_'NO!' Rhîwhên shouted._

Erestel startled herself back into the waking world.

Her ragged clothes acted as a second skin now, drenched in a cold sweat. Her heart hammered so hard inside her chest it was hard to breathe.

_Erestel! Erestel! _

'Erestel!' Varsis was suddenly at her side, shaking her back down to reality. 'It was just a dream,' he said.

Her dark eyes turned to him quietly. What happened?

'You had a nightmare.'

Erestel furrowed her brows. _A nightmare? No, a memory. _

'You have a habit of talking in your sleep. Your still not completely recovered, I expected it. You did it a great deal while you were still feverish—er—I suppose that doesn't help,' he said as her met her unsure eyes. Her face flushed red, and she recoiled from his touch.

'Who do you hate so much, Erestel?'

Her face went white, suddenly expressionless.

**No, **her eyes said.

'I need answers,' Varsis pushed. 'Perhaps not now, but eventually.'

_'If its answers like that you want, get used to dissapointment,'_ a hard stare toward Varsis put him off the subject, for now.

What was so terrible? He wanted to question.


	2. Prologue, Part Two

Erestel stood in the square intently listening to the bustling sounds of the market. Far to her right in the distance, the sound of chaos ensuing over a pair of thieves could be heard. Varsis stood to her right, bringing her back down to reality as he took her hand, dragging her along the dimly lit underground street. Phaedrus was busy as they approached, bargaining over the price of fabric materials to a tradesman. Erestel gave him a brief smile, settling with her feeling of unease in the massive crowd.

Abruptly, the street divided down the center to reveal Erastus in a rush with a sack full of apples.

Varsis quirked a curious brow.

'What?' Erastus retorted

'Apples?' Varsis questioned rhetorically. He said nothing further, but turned with a grin toward Phaedrus. As he finished his transaction, his emerald eyes glowered disapprovingly.

'As I recall, Phaedrus, our mother wasn't along on this trip. So before you begin to scold us anyways, there was enough time to leave you _all _out of being associated. Aramaes is busy with distractions—you know its his specialty. He just wrangles me into his ideas,' Erastus grinned devilishly.

'While we are all appreciative you took the time out of your plotting ways to think of our well-being, get out of here Erastus,' Phaedrus put shortly. Varsis bit his lip in a grin; if he hadn't been busy keeping Erestel from wandering off, he may have been in on the entire operation.

_'Fine, _Phaedrus.' Erastus retorted sulkingly, 'but don't come to me when you want any of our loot.'

'Please tell me you only stole apples…'

'Of course!' Erastus said, purposely failing to sound convincing. 'Brother, _dear brother, _we only stole apples. In fact, we've never stolen before in our lives. You know, at this rate, I don't understand why you bother to pay for anything Phaedrus. You're the only honest one.'

Dozens of _stop! thief! _shouts raised above the bustling voices of the market, and guards readied with swords in hand burst through the sea of people.

'…and that would be my cue to leave,' Erastus noted with a sly smile. With a silent salute farewell, he followed his twin into the flowing chaos.

'You should teach the twins better if they truly insist on stealing,' Phaedrus sounded adamant he would never change their ways.

_'That—' _Varsis pointed into the distance, '—I have nothing to do with. At least when I steal, you never know the difference until its too late. You know those two enjoy the thrill of getting caught more.'

Erestel crouched, startled. Her eyes widened silently as she locked onto a shifty stranger guised in green with a black cowl. _Bâlan. _His familiar, threatening stench mingled with the stranger. It burned down her throat like wild fire, and the tense curves of her body failed to relax as she issued a low growl.

'Erestel?' Varsis questioned with concern. 'You're safe here,' he said, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

_'I appreciate the sentiments, Varsis,' _the tone in her voice was traced with sarcasm.

Phaedrus fell silent in the middle of a new transaction, his green eyes searching apprehensively within the crowd for an answer. He had a terrible feeling there was more, _much more, _to their recently recovered house guest. He studied her with a hard, silent curiosity.

'What is it?' Varsis asked, holding her back.

_'I should leave,' _she said, darting him an apprehensive glance.

'You could barely stand a week ago—' Varsis felt the hard stare of Phaedrus, and hushed his conversation as they moved along down the street. 'It was astounding you even continued to breathe after we found you among the living. Phaedrus did a miracle in aiding your recovery, but you were fortunate. You were so bloodied…_your mark_…was barely noticeable.'

'Varsis?' Erestel interrupted, _'I advise we run.'_

Erestel burst into a bolt of speed between the people without a second hesitation. Varsis instantly lost her in the massive crowd, but dashed toward his nearest option. _A horse. _

'Hey!' A burly man shouted. _'Hey! You! _You can't take that!'

'Borrowing it!' He distractedly shouted as he took off in pursuit. It hardly proved helpful she was slightly shorter than the standard elf. Her white ringlets of hair might stick out in the crowd though. Varsis sprinted the horse down the divided street, turning to search in the mass of alarmed people.

_'Too slow,' _she repeated in his thoughts.

_Where was she?_ He wondered if she could read thoughts.

A slender hand stole him off the beast into the shadows of a dark doorway.

'Who was tha—' Varsis started, but she pressed herself against him, covering his mouth. Erestel led him into the armory out of sight.

'_An assassin,' _she answered dryly. _'A personal gift for being hospitable, no doubt.' _

A sack of heavy gold coins lay nearby the forge, an unguarded prize Erestel gladly pocketed. Varsis was busy admiring a row of shields hanging on the left wall, but as he rounded the corner a burst of snoring caught his attention.

'Erestel, where are you?' He hissed, searching for her in the dim light.

'_Here,' _she called out from behind. He turned to see her slender figure drop from the old rafters. Erestel padded the dirt softly toward the shop master, and Varsis prodded the man softly at first, but quickly noticed the bottles of ale lying at his feet. Another coin purse hung from the blacksmith's waist, and she had no hesitation in stealing his personal gold as well.

Erestel moved onto a row of commissioned weapons, fingering their hilts delicately in admiration as she passed. Varsis followed her as she circled around, her dark eyes falling on a set of blades lying atop the anvil. _Who was this master armorer crafting for? _The detail to the twin blades were certainly intricate.

'How do your telepathic abilities work? Are my thoughts still private?' Varsis broke the silence.

'_From what I understand, yes and no.' _Erestel sounded unsure. _'Occasionally, stronger thoughts can rise from those who do not have the prominent ability, but for the most part, your thoughts are still your own. I have heard people can occasionally touch the surface of emotions, but I believe it depends on how close the telepathic person is to the receiver.'_

'Does distance matter at all?'

'_Again, I hear it depends. For those with a truly developed power, it does not. Most of our core ability lies in how penetrable their mind is, or how attached we are. Mental defense plays an enormous part.'_

'You've known other telepaths?'

'_Yes. My fa—_' she shot a revealing glance she had said too much.

He gave her a curious expression wrapped in a wry smile; he caught her off guard.

'Please, continue. Your lies prove to be intriguing.'

'_So you caught me in a little lie.' _Erestel stabbed defensively. _'My family is still dead, which was never a deception. I just never concluded the manner in which I chose to define it. You fail to realize there is a fine line between lies and leaving out specifics,' _she shot him a sly smile.

'I suppose I expected more direct honesty for _saving your life, _after all,' Varsis retorted.

'_Who ever said I needed saving?' _

'You were doing so great on your own,' he added with sarcasm.

'_Hmph,' _she stubbornly crossed her arms.

'So, do you remember anything of your father? Who was he?'

Erestel exploded in laughter.

_Meren. __**Meren. Meren! **_She wanted to shout. Surprisingly, for all her terrible misdeeds, this simple fact itched at her conscience to be anything less than bluntly honest. Being a Môrelen was about power, not about being completely mad. Erestel concluded both unfortunately went hand-in-hand too often. Why was she so proud to be the child of a family full of cursed lunatics? _Strength, _that was it. Erestel was the sole survivor to pull away from the family curse with her sanity still intact.

'Did I miss some private joke?' Varsis asked, feeling left out of the picture.

'_Nothing,' _Erestel said with a snort. _'Honestly, forget it. You would never understand if I told you,' _she said as she ruminated over the leftover ale. Erestel never had gotten around to tasting it before, but sniffed cautiously before bringing herself to a decision. _**Agh!**_The sensation of this new scent burnt her throat worse than a sack full of manure. _Why in the nine hells did people find this so enticing? _Erestel had to find out.

'What wouldn't I understand?' Varsis quirked up a brow.

_Ach!_ she spewed the vile brown liquid everywhere. Erestel returned to the conversation at hand. _'For the record, I remember too well,' _she concluded.

'Not exactly father material?'

'_Not exactly,' _she repeated with a laugh.


End file.
